The Bobcats (6-4-1) won for the first time in four games, dropping the visiting Blazers to 9-5 on the season.

Junior defender Sarah Gutch got the scoring started in the 15th minute, curling a corner kick into the Elms goal from the left corner. Gutch took advantage of the high wind she was kicking into, lofting the ball high and in front of the goal, where it was knocked down by the wind enough to settle into the inside of the right side of the net.

Bates doubled its lead with 33:11 left in the second half. First-year forward Caroline Bogue made a nice move along the right baseline and crossed to first-year So Kim (Thornhill, Ontario), whose shot caromed off the right post. With Elms goalie Rebecca Molin caught near the right post, Bates sophomore Riley Turcotte collected the rebound and scored into the open left side of the goal for a 2-0 advantage. The goal was Turcotte's third this season and the seventh of her career. Kim, making her first collegiate start, notched her third assist of the season.

The Bobcats made it 3-0 in the 72nd minute after senior captain Hannah Behringer's (Old Lyme, Conn.) shot was saved but not corralled by Molin. The rebound went to Bates first-year Nellie Breen (Pasadena, Calif.), and her short pass to the left set up first-year Elizabeth Bennett (London, England) for a clear shot and the goal from 10 yards out. The goal was Bennett's first as a Bobcat, and Breen's assist was her third, moving her into a tie with Kim for the team lead.

Bates outshot Elms 19-8 and held an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Molin made three saves for the Blazers. Bates senior Sarah McCarthy (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) made three saves in 74 minutes and shared the shutout with first-year Katherine Nuckols (Los Angeles, Calif.), who kept goal for the final 16 minutes.

The game was the beginning of a five-game homestand for the Bobcats to finish their regular-season schedule. Bates will next host Tufts in a NESCAC game on Saturday at 12pm. Elms will host Newbury College in an NECC match on Wednesday at 7pm.